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Community POTW #031

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Serebii

And, as if by magic, the webmaster appeared...
Staff member
Admin
Time for the next Pokémon, and this week we have a Unova Pokémon

628.png


It's the great Flying-type, Braviary

https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sm/628.shtml

Go nuts
 

Local Maple

Active Member
Braviary. One of the few Pokemon whose every ability has some competitive viability. Here are some of my quick thoughts about the abilities, then moves they can run.

Defiant. Turn an Intimidate's -1 Atk into a +1. Combine that with an Adrenaline Orb for needed +1 Speed. If the opponent's Arcanine didn't notice, but you're in Doubles and he sees a potential Special Attacker, he may try to Snarl both of you, increasing your Attack yet again.
Keen Eye. Against all the Mini-Muks, Drifblims, and other evasion trolls, this ability is a must. Then again, you do have access to Hone Claws and Aerial Ace, and Minimize has been severely nerfed with moves like Heavy Slam, Body Slam... Okay, this ability may not be as viable as the other two.
Sheer Force. Take a move with an effect, increase the power, and lose the Life Orb damage. If I'm reading Bulbapedia right, this also makes you immune to Red Card, prevent the Emergency Exit switch-out, prevent the Intimidate user from Eject Buttoning out, etc. However, you're not immune to Superpower's effect.

If I was running Defiant, I'd definitely give it an Adrenaline Orb. Anticipate those Intimidates, and punish them. High-Power moves will also work well. Superpower is risky, but viable with this safe +1 attack to start. Thrash is STAB and very high power; good against teams that don't resist it. Rock Tomb can slow down opponents, catch other Flyers off guard, and give you 2 moves in a row to take down speedy opponents. A last possible coverage move is Steel Wing for Rock and Fairies. For status moves, Roost and Bulk Up work well.

For Keen Eye, Sky Drop stalls Minimize setup in Doubles. Defog can both remove screens and lower said evasion, while Hone Claws can raise your accuracy and attack. This ability seems more suited for a supportive Braviary than an offensive one, but that role can probably be taken by other Pokemon...

Sheer Force. Tailwind gives you the speed to take advantage of your newfound power. Since you are gaining power but not in stat modification, Superpower is too risky for me, and doesn't get the Sheer Force boost (or Life Orb no damage). Rock Tomb/Slide lose their properties but gains extra power. Steel Wing now truly punishes Fairies, Rocks, and Ice. Zen Headbutt, Secret Power, and Sky Attack are older-gen moves that have additional effects for Sheer Force. Unfortunately, Sky Attack is the only Flying STAB that gains Sheer Force, and Secret Power the only Normal STAB. Roost can keep you healthy, while Hone Claws can improve the 90% accuracy most of those moves come with, and makes Superpower a bit more viable.


As for a gimmicky set... Rest, Sleep Talk, Roost, and an attack can catch many Pokemon off guard. Breed it bulky, give it either Defiant or Keen Eye
 

Ivysnake

Poison Gym Leader
Unfortunately, Sky Attack is the only Flying STAB that gains Sheer Force, and Secret Power the only Normal STAB.

Well, Crush Claw has the Sheer Force boost. While it has slightly less than 100% accuracy, on a Hone Claws sets could seem plausible.
 

Sceptile Leaf Blade

Nighttime Guardian
Braviary can do some work in Battle Spot doubles as a Tailwind setter with offensive presence.

Braviary @ Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
Jolly Nature
252 Attack, 252 Speed, 4 Sp.Def
-Brave Bird
-Superpower
-Tailwind
-Return / Protect / U-Turn

After Intimidate Braviary can OHKO Landorus-Therian with Brave Bird, and depending on the build can also OHKO Arcanine. Without the Intimidate it still OHKO's offensive Mega Charizard Y and Tapu Bulu with Brave Bird and Tyranitar with Superpower, and 2HKO's Garchomp with Brave Bird. Tailwind is Tailwind, great support in doubles. Return is its most powerful move against Electric types like Tapu Koko. Protect is always useful in doubles and U-Turn is there to switch out after setting up Tailwind. These are among the most common pokémon in Battle Spot Doubles at the moment.

I think Life Orb is a vital item for it. It provides the power boost it needs to get OHKO's on Landorus, Arcanine, and Mega Charizard Y, as well as the 2HKO on Garchomp. Adrenaline Orb is nice, but is somewhat situational and comes with a pretty big loss in power, I prefer using Tailwind to boost speed.

To the downsides. This set struggles against defensive pokémon. Porygon2 can take Superpower and recover the damage to stall out Braviary's power, or set up Trick Room. Bulky variants of Snorlax also survive Superpower and can use the turn to Belly Drum while the partner sets up Trick Room, or simply Recycle the Figy Berry to stall out Superpower. Aegislash resists pretty much everything Braviary ever carries. Mega Salamence also avoids the OHKO by Brave Bird even after Intimidate, although it hurts enough that Salamence's Double Edge recoil will probably take it out pretty quickly. Alolan Marowak is in a similar boat to Mega Salamence, it can take a Brave Bird and retaliate with Flare Blitz for a KO. Mega Metagross also has plenty of bulk to survive anything Braviary has, and has sufficient power to threaten Braviary with moves like Zen Headbutt and Meteor Mash.
 
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